Disturbing News Story Out of Pakistan

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, it is easy to get bogged down by the little things. As I have been researching some of these issues, I have seen that there is a rather passionate debate over some of them, particularly the need for the head covering. The debates arise because the texts are vague or believed to be time/space dependent. As modern people, we have to do our best to interrupt what meaning we should derive from revelations aimed at people in sixth century Arabia.

One issues that is defiantly not ambiguous is Islam's stance on infanticide. When learning about Islam, one of the things that is mentioned again and again is how Islam banned the practice of infanticide. At the time of the Prophet, it was common to kill female children because they were seen as less desirable than the males (for economic reasons). Therefore, Islam teaches us that male and female children and equally valuable and that infanticide is wrong. 

I read an article the other day about the rise of infanticide in Pakistan. This trend is should be disturbing to people throughout the world and for people of all faiths. However, for Muslims, this trend should be especially disturbing. This behavior goes against the ban on infanticide, but also against the (religiously universal) commandment to not murder. These Pakistanis are going against Islam. 

The well-known Islamic Scholar, Muhammad Asad, once said that the religion of Islam was too good for its followers. It is not just the instances of infanticide and violence that justify this opinion. Look at the oil rich Arab nations. The people there have an obsession with the appearance of wealth and "keeping up with the Jones." Extravagant amounts of money are spent on dowries and weddings; the middle class goes in dept to fund these extravaganzas and only the wealthy men can afford such brides.  

This is not how Islam was meant to be practiced. 

Bogged Down By the Small Stuff

What attracted me to Islam was the logic of it. Coming from a Christian background, Islam just seen so much more rational. Gone were the confusing ideas of the Trinity and original sin. The required belief in all the messengers of God fit with my pre-existing idea that traditions like Buddhism and Native American beliefs were not at odds with belief in God (This is in contrast to the Christian homeschool textbooks that I was exposed to, which condemned Yoga because of it's 'pagan' origins.). The Quran even contains science in it. Yes, it seemed to me to be a religion of logic.

Just before and following my conversion, I began to be introduced to the less logical aspects. I was told music was bad, to only eat with my right hand, could not keep a dog as a pet, that the testimony of two women was required, to cover myself, and that games and other frivolous activities should be avoided.

There seemed to be so many rulings that seem superstitious or cultural. They all seemed to come from Hadiths. The result of being told all these rules was a decreased desire to learn more about my new religion. This also manifested in a decreased intrest in the Prophet Muhammad.

So, for the past few years I have been religiously stagnant. I could never go back to Christianity, I cannot believe in Christian doctrine anymore. This combined with my feeling of disconnect from the above mentioned rules led me to privately incline towards deism or agnosticism.

However much I doubted, I could not reject religion entirely, and Islam specifically, because of two experiences. The first time I attempted the five daily prayers, I felt a closeness to something greater than myself when performing the nighttime one. A few years later, during Ramadan, I felt like I was connected to every other Muslim on the planet. These are feelings that I had never felt in Christianity, thus helping to confirm my continued disbelief in it. More than that, however, they helped me to feel that however much I doubted, Islam was still the right path. I just needed to reconnect with what led me down this path to begin with.

To that purpose I have started to re-learn about Islam. I have recently read Karen Armstrong's Islam: A Short History and Muhammad: Biography of a Prophet. I decided to learn from these because I wanted knowledge that was not infused with Arab cultural influences. Also, I knew that she has a good reputation as a religious historian.

As I mentioned earlier, early on I felt a disconnection from Muhammad based on the rules that I was taught by my Muslim mentors. Ironically, a non-Muslim gave me the knowledge that I needed to appreciate and connect with the Prophet. She writes that Muhammad devoted his life to trying to improve conditions for women, children, orphans, slaves, and animals. He worked towards improved social justice and abolishing much of the tribal feuding that existed. Thanks to her books, I finally feel a connection to and appreciation of Prophet Muhammad that I had never felt in my nine years as a Muslim.

If you go here, there is advice for converts suggesting them to avoid them getting bogged down by the small stuff.

In upcoming posts, I will discuss my conclusions on the troubling rules that I referred to earlier and how isolating the conversion process is.

On Why Becoming Muslim Was One of the Most American Things I Have Ever Done

     In America these days, and indeed much of the rest of the West, there a feeling that Islam is not compatible with Western ideals. Anyone who embraces Islam is, therefore, seen as turning their backs on their own society. This idea is of course reinforced by the fact that the news often features converts that really have turned their back on Western society and joined the likes of Al Qaeda.
     The American Revolution was based on the principles of the Enlightenment. These are the ideals that shaped our government. According to Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant:

"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity

is the inability to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another.

This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but

lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The

motto of enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own

understanding!...It is so convenient to be immature! If I have a book to have understanding in

place of me, a spiritual adviser to have a conscience for me, a doctor to judge

my diet for me, and so on, I need not make any efforts at all. I need not think,

so long as I can pay; others will soon enough take the tiresome job over for me."

     Therefore, America was founded on the idea that all rational beings should think for themselves and not just "follow the pack." For myself, and many other converts to Islam that I have met, the path to Islam starts with questioning the things we are told about religion. We use our reason, and assess religious tenets and practices for ourselves, instead of just going along with "the guidance of another."

     Kant says "Have courage to use your own understanding!" It really does take courage to convert. Not only does it take courage to go against how one was brought up, but for women that decide to wear the hijab, it requires courage to declare to not just one's family, but the whole world your new religious affiliation.

     "It is so convenient to be immature!" Therefore, it is not surprising that many religious converts fall back into the habit of being solely guided by others. The convert's enters into the religion anxious to do everything right, and so consulting people established in the religion, it is easy to fall back into allowing others to think for us about religious matters. This could explain why some converts fall in with the extreme groups.

"Thus it is difficult for each separate individual to work his way out of the

immaturity which has become almost second nature to him. He has even grown fond

of it and is really incapable for the time being of using his own understanding,

because he was never allowed to make the attempt. Dogmas and formulas, those

mechanical instruments for rational use (or rather misuse) of his natural

endowments, are the ball and chain of his permanent immaturity. And if anyone

did throw them off, he would still be uncertain about jumping over even the

narrowest of trenches, for he would be unaccustomed to free movement of this

kind. Thus only a few, by cultivating the;r own minds, have succeeded in freeing

themselves from immaturity and in continuing boldly on their way."

     I will conclude this post by encouraging people in all religions (either converts or those born into a religion) to think for yourself about religious matters.
  
     If you would like to read the rest of Kant's essay "What is Enlightenment?", you can find it here.